Skyrim
An open world fantasy RPG from Bethesda.
Where Skyrim comes up3 episodes and tests
Gcreator of Game Maker's Toolkit testThe World Design of Elden Ring
Gcreator of Game Maker's Toolkit testBuilding Better Skill Trees
Gcreator of Game Maker's Toolkit testFollowing the Little Dotted LineSkyrim's open world scales enemies to player power, which the sources cite as a fix for open world difficulty. Its use-based skills invite grinding, with players crafting dozens of daggers just to level crafting. Its no-marker treasure maps push players to study the world. Lesson: adapt challenge to freedom, and avoid rewarding actions that players can farm.
- 1Player roams freelyAny region, in any order
- 2Player grows strongerPower rises as they play
- 3Enemies adapt to powerStrength scales with the player
- 4Fights stay balancedNever far too hard or easy
From Skyrim design analysis
What was said about Skyrim
Skyrim scales enemy strength with player power to tame open world difficulty. Skyrim, like Assassin's Creed, adapts enemies to the player's power so a free-roaming player doesn't hit fights that are far too hard or too easy. Elden Ring skips this fix.
Other games solve the same problem differently: Breath of the Wild drops stronger enemies in after a number of kills, and Hollow Knight turns the Forgotten Crossroads into the Infected Crossroads with harder foes. Skyrim is also a single landmass, unlike Elden Ring's dot-to-dot chain of regions.
Skyrim's use-based skills led players to craft dozens of daggers for points. Because skill points come from repeating actions, players craft dozens of daggers just to raise their crafting skill. That is grinding, and it doesn't fit the core experience.
The lesson is that a reward system should only encourage gameplay that fits the core experience. Quote: "You don't want to encourage grinding, or gameplay that doesn't fit the core experience."
Skyrim offers optional treasure maps with no markers. Skyrim's treasure maps give a crude drawing of a landmass, rock or tree. The player has to find the real-world match with no hints or markers.
Red Dead Redemption and Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag do the same. This lets mainstream games keep accessible navigation aids while giving devoted players a way to study the landscape. Quote: "They're fun because they encourage you to really study and explore the game's world."
The World Design of Elden Ring
Its regions all border each other, and it scales enemies with the player's power, a fix for open world difficulty that Elden Ring skips.
Skyrim scales enemy strength with player power to tame open world difficulty. Skyrim, like Assassin's Creed, adapts enemies to the player's power so a free-roaming player doesn't hit fights that are far too hard or too easy. Elden Ring skips this fix.
Other games solve the same problem differently: Breath of the Wild drops stronger enemies in after a number of kills, and Hollow Knight turns the Forgotten Crossroads into the Infected Crossroads with harder foes. Skyrim is also a single landmass, unlike Elden Ring's dot-to-dot chain of regions.
Building Better Skill Trees
Its use-based system can push players to craft dozens of daggers just to raise crafting skill, which is grinding.
Skyrim's use-based skills led players to craft dozens of daggers for points. Because skill points come from repeating actions, players craft dozens of daggers just to raise their crafting skill. That is grinding, and it doesn't fit the core experience.
The lesson is that a reward system should only encourage gameplay that fits the core experience. Quote: "You don't want to encourage grinding, or gameplay that doesn't fit the core experience."
Following the Little Dotted Line
Its map shows only places already visited, so players ask for directions, check the journal or read signposts. That leads to secrets and surprises along the way. Its treasure maps give a crude drawing of a landmark with no hints or markers, pushing players to study the world and delaying the reward.
Skyrim offers optional treasure maps with no markers. Skyrim's treasure maps give a crude drawing of a landmass, rock or tree. The player has to find the real-world match with no hints or markers.
Red Dead Redemption and Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag do the same. This lets mainstream games keep accessible navigation aids while giving devoted players a way to study the landscape. Quote: "They're fun because they encourage you to really study and explore the game's world."
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